Author: Erin

An explorer of simpler things. Far from expert but seasoned attempter. Founder of Simplenaut an online magazine about living simply, and Simple Day Cleaning: cleaning to center the mind and simplify the day.

Dish soap is dish soap, right? Wrong. Its good to be choosy. Different soaps contain different products, dyes, and scents. Some are made for specific purposes and types of machines, others are strong and should not be used around children.

With an ever widening assortment of dish soaps, it is important to find one that suits your needs. There are many to choose from.

Its good to ask yourself some questions:

Do you need soap to wash by hand or machine?

Does your soap contain ingredients you may be allergic to?

Is it eco-friendly?

Is it affordable?

What about making your own dish soap?

Scented or unscented?

Are you prone to dry skin?

Some Popular Trustworthy Favorites:

Dawn Hand Renewal

Mrs Meyer’s Clean Day Dish Soap in Bluebell

Seventh Generation Dishwasher Detergent Packs

Palmolive Eco Gel Dishwasher Detergent

It’s cold outside and many depend on a furnace to keep them cozy indoors. Turn up the thermostat and on comes the heat filling your home with warm relief. But, even when its running smoothly, it is good to run check ups on your furnace routinely. Continue reading “REMINDER | Furnace Filter Check”→

How often do we check our cell phone, turn on the television, or click away on our computers first thing in the morning? How different would our day be if instead we spent these moments becoming aware of the waking world around us? When was the last time you sat in contemplation while the sun rose?

“There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.”

~Bernard Williams

Most of us take the sunrise for granted…it rose yesterday, why won’t it tomorrow? Experiencing and being conscious of the sunrise can change your whole outlook on the day.

When you experience a sunrise, you are consciously absorbing the moment. Feeling its light, watching it swell above the horizon, and absorbing its warm energy. You reflect on the importance of that moment. The Sun gives the world power. The Sun gives us life. It feeds each and every cell that make our bodies. It gives us day after the dark night. Separating what was yesterday and what is about to begin the today, it covers us.

Every morning the Sun offers a new beginning to what may have felt wrong yesterday. In taking time to let your day start in peace, we attract good new energy. The sunrise brings us opportunity and promises us that all things have a purpose. Where there is dark, light will always follow.

The dark is the settling of the day, a time to let things be and reflect on all that was. The morning is the pop of beginning, a time to contemplate all that is possible!

“Even the mundane task of washing dishes by hand is an example of the small tasks and personal activities that once filled people’s daily lives with a sense of achievement.”

~B. F. Skinner

Of course an automatic dishwasher has the benefit of time consumption, but have you thought about the benefits of washing them yourself by hand?

Here is Why You Might Want To:

The act itself has been found to actually reduce stress and calm you.

Practicing “mindfulness” while doing the chore, actually focuses your concentration and lets distracting thoughts simply pass through your brain and away again. This may help reduce anxiety and depression.

You save room in your kitchen where your automatic dishwasher would have gone.

You can invite a household member to dry as you wash…Great way to catch up at the end of a long day.

It’s hard to find automatic dishwasher detergents without phosphates in them, which can be harmful to the environment.

Consider the ecological impact of the manufacturing of your dishwasher, and what happens to it when it breaks down and is no longer fixable.

Keeping your hands active in the warmth of the water may help reduce arthritis pain and irritation. Keeping your hands active overall will help reduce your chances of inflammation related hand disease later in life.

We all feel a little overwhelmed at times. Work, friends, family, and personal projects can pile up fast. Looking at the large picture can seem unbearably complicated, leaving us stressed out, and lacking motivation.

By simplifying large projects into mini-steps they become less complicated. An intense project can be broken up into many mini-10 minute tasks.

Simple steps to complete major responsibilities can organize us better, build self confidence, and create satisfaction! Below are some ways you can start this practice right now. Lets get started!

TIPS TO OVERCOMING LARGE TASKS RIGHT NOW

For each task list ALL of the mini-steps you can think of to get it completed. For example, what steps are needed to produce the final result?

Label each of the mini-steps according to what can be completed right now, sometime today, tomorrow, next week, next month etc.

Conquer!

Choose one mini-step from two categories you don’t like doing but are able to do today.

Choose one or more mini-steps from a category that you don’t mind doing today.

Choose one or more mini-steps from a category that you enjoy doing, such as Hobby, Vacation Goal, Family Time

Write them on a small list and do and begin on the mini-steps you can do right now.

A little work, a little play, all adds up to a very nice day!

Give yourself a pat on the back, because you got some things done. Let what needs to be done tomorrow, be worried about tomorrow. If today’s mini-steps lasted longer than you thought or were a bit more overwhelming than predicted, give yourself a bonus Hobby or Fun Time task. If there is nothing you can do about a task today…let it be. No harm.

“I wake up some mornings and sit and have my coffee and look out at my beautiful garden, and I go, ‘Remember how good this is. Because you can lose it.”

~Jim Carrey

Coffee coffee coffee! I love coffee. I also love creativity. Coffee can breed creativity as well. It need not be a boring brown beverage. Here are a few simple things to add to your cup to spike it up a notch.

TRY THESE IN YOUR COFFEE TO YUMM IT UP:

Cinnamon can be warming and stimulating.

A bit of cinnamon not only tastes fantastic in your coffee, but is believed to have some health benefits as well. It may help lower blood sugar levels, reduce heart disease risk, support brain health and reduce cognitive decline risk. An added plus, it smells so good!

Although there are slightly more minerals in brown sugars or raw sugars it isn’t significant enough to add any major health benefit. But, it does have a huge flavor effect. Brown sugar adds a bolder taste to your coffee, especially when added with vanilla. There are organic fare-trade varieties available.

A sprinkle of nutmeg in your coffee each morning may aid in boosting the immune system, reduce insomnia, and detoxify the body. It adds a light slightly sweet taste and is often good coupled with cinnamon.

If coffee seems to bitter or acidic for you, try a pinch of salt in the grounds. Although many times, the bitterness of coffee is mainly a contribution of improper brewing, if you generally dislike the boldness this simple trick should help.

Commercial low-fat creamers are popular these days, but many are artificial and over-processed. And lets be honest, they never taste as good. Real cream does have its health benefits. It contains vitamin D, calcium, no artificial sweeteners or flavorings and may even leave you with a little more of a smile on your morning face.

I’m lazy. There is no other word for it, except the fancy word procrastination, which I just had to look up by the way. I also am a terrible speller. There are MANY books out there with at least 100 pages about how to stay organized or get organized. I bought them so I know, but I haven’t read most of them I am also a scanner. I see 100 pages and think, “I need some help NOW!”, not in 100 pages. So, if you’re like me and need instant simple decluttering know-how here are 5 things you can do right now, without reading an entire book. Continue reading “5 Things To Keep You Organized Starting Today!”→

What are your resolutions for this year? Saving for a favorite vacation, losing that last 15 pounds, organizing your bills and finances? Although these are all really good goals, they are often given up on. We tend to give up on goals that offer us no immediate reward. Although it is good to get your financial ducks in a row, sometimes that could take months or even years! Continue reading “5 REAL-alistic New Year’s Resolutions”→